At a towering 6-8, defenseman Tyler Myers is a rare breed. Myers plays shutdown defense while skating with the mobility and grace of an offensive force, but what makes Myers' story most intriguing is that the NHL's Calder Trophy winner for rookie of the year began his journey in the Houston area.

Myers, who grew up in Katy, discovered the sport like many youngsters do — by seeing it in person.

"I was about 6 or 7, and my dad took me to a Houston Aeros game," Myers said. "I fell in love with it and was buying equipment the next morning."

He began playing at the Sugar Land Aerodrome for the A-level squirt Junior Aeros before moving to Calgary, Alberta at the age of 10 with his father. Myers continued playing in Canada, making an impression on his teammates from the start.

"They were a little surprised," Myers said. "They don't find many Texans up there playing, but I definitely saw a difference in the level of hockey."

Into the fire

Playing in a superior development system, Myers graduated from the bantam level and went to play junior hockey for the Kelowna Rockets. After an impressive four-year stint in juniors, the Buffalo Sabres made Myers their first-round selection (12th overall) in the 2008 entry draft. Myers skipped the seasoning of AHL play and made the jump right into Buffalo's lineup.

"It was exciting for me to get to that level," Myers said. "I went into camp wanting a spot on the team, and the biggest thing for me was never being satisfied."

Myers played a full 82-game season and scored 11 goals to go with 37 assists for 48 points with a +/- rating of 13, an impressive stat for a first-year defenseman. He beat out a stellar rookie class that included Avalanche centerMatt Duchene and Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard for the Calder.

"(Winning the Calder) is exciting," Myers said. "It still really hasn't sunk in to me. There were a handful of other guys that could have easily won it."

Ahead of his time

With his smooth skating and intimidating size, Myers has drawn immediate comparisons to the Boston Bruins' 6-9 blue liner Zdeno Chara. Many believe, though, that Myers' game at age 20 has more maturity and upside than Chara's career did at such an early stage.

"He is a great player in the league and obviously I'm going to get that comparison because of my height, but I'll take that comparison any day because of the type of hockey player he is," Myers said.

While his career continues to take off, Myers is keeping a close eye on the sport's increasing popularity in the south.

"It's growing quite a bit," Myers said. "When I was playing in Houston it seemed like there was more hockey in Dallas, but I hear more kids are getting into it at a young age throughout Texas and it is nice to hear that."